Windows Optimized Desktop

Shanen Boettcher, Microsoft general manager of Windows product management for the enterprise, provides an update via the Windows Vista blog about the company's recent gains with a stealth set of tools that are already transforming how businesses deploy and manage Windows desktops. What he's tip-toeing around, however, is that some of these tools--the SoftGrid-based Application Virtualization and the recently-acquired Kidaro-based Enterprise Desktop Virtualization products--will form the basis for Microsoft's backwards compatibility story going forward. Yes, it's all about virtualization, and I've got a lot to write about this in the upcoming weeks. But for now, let's see what's going on right now from a bigger picture perspective:

While there are many facets to the Optimized Desktop, the framework is based on technologies that enable decoupling the traditional desktop stack of hardware, operating system, applications, data, settings and user profiles, making desktop management more efficient and easing change and user migration.

With Windows Vista, Microsoft Optimized Desktop Pack (MDOP) and System Center, companies can create a flexible desktop environment - one where users can log on to any managed PC connected to the corporate network and have the same familiar environment and access to applications and data, while enabling IT departments to reduce costs and deliver applications and data services that are compliant with their data security and regulatory requirements.

We have officially finalized the acquisition of Kidaro Technologies, whose products enable a seamless combination of applications running from within both a host and guest OS. This technology will help enable end users to run applications from multiple versions of Windows at the same time, with seamless windowing and menus, and without the confusion of logging into and seeing multiple virtual machine desktops. The product teams are working closely with our new colleagues from Kidaro to incorporate the desktop virtualizationtechnologies into MDOP in the first half of 2009, under the new product name Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization.

We've created five Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios that outline solutions for different types of customers. It's important to realize that no "one size" desktop fits every user's needs. These scenarios highlight how you can use OS, application and user state virtualization to deliver very flexible yet manageable environments for your users:

By examining the different user scenarios within your organization, and taking advantage of technologies such as BitLocker Drive Encryption, Folder Redirection, Offline Files, Microsoft Application Virtualization and Windows Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktop (VECD), you can find the right balance of end-user flexibility and IT management and control.

There's been a lot of silliness lately about how developers aren't taking advantage of new Vista technologies (and some corresponding history rewriting about how Mac OS X developers are supposedly doing much better with new Leopard technologies). But the truth is, that stuff doesn't matter: What's more relevant is that Microsoft is addressing issues that actually matter to its paying customers. No, it's not "exciting" in the way that a shiny new bauble can be. But this stuff is important and, I think, a real differentiater for Microsoft now and in the future.

Discuss this Article 4

I think you've taken the wrong tack here. The vision above is an enterprise vision meant to distribute desktop resources and applications and I think MS is ultimately interested as a means to control licensing for themselves and their developer partners. There's a lot of potential chaos and loopholes in licensing terms now, and a big potential to maximize usage on the client side like never before.
Maybe this makes more sense within the realm of 'Mesh', like VPN+corporate mesh. But just listing the number of technologies and products above, it seems like cloud computing or at least centralized browser-based apps would prove more affordable and durable for most companies.
The Businessweek article on the same source mentioned BP using this to let their employees buy and maintain their own laptops, and that's intriguing. But I can't see this approach winning out over time.

If you insist Dpsht...
@Paul
Seriously though, Paul, what is this post? Talk about setting up strawmen.
First off, these steps to virtualize compatibility are excellent and will finally unleash Microsoft's Windows team to show what they can do when you really sandbox the legacy cruft. At least, I hope so.
"We have officially finalized the acquisition of Kidaro Technologies, whose products enable a seamless combination of applications running from within both a host and guest OS."
Sounds like OSX's classic to me... only being delivered 8 years later as an acquisition. Presumably, it'll be more seamless, though classic was pretty seamless.
But what in the hell does this have to do with windows developer apathy for WPF, one of Vista's major "pillars" and the corresponding truth that OSX developers are jumping in on Objective-C 2.0 and Core Animation in droves? I don't see how it has anything to do with it. Microsoft can, in fact, be making stride in one area, while their ecosystem can be lagging in another and the two don't cancel each other out, or whatever it is you're trying to say here.
The truth seems to be that Windows devs aren't jumping onto WPF. If you're saying that WPF in Vista is an exciting shiny new "bauble" or the new Objective C with garbage collection and core animation are "baubles" in OSX, I'm afraid your definition of "Bauble" must be way off from mine. These are major developer technologies that are designed to reduce code complexity, improve application usability and performance and enable devs to focus on innovation instead of re-inventing the wheel and debugging mundane functionality.
It's great that Microsoft is trying to "address issues that actually matter to paying customers". But all of those developers matter too. And I don't see how you can logically connect these two things the way you are here.
Yes. Microsoft is trying to deliver products for customers. Yes, the windows third party community is not adopting new Vista technology that's been touted as important differentiators for the platform.
For those interested in some good links to this developer issue, check this out.
http://www.infrageeks.com/groups/infrageeks/weblog/ba266/

Keep in mind that most IT guys at the various businesses across the planet are planning to do many of their Vista upgrading in 2009. Since XP is still a viable platform it makes sense to push XP development of 3rd party apps until at least mid 2009. Then as businesses adapt Vista in 09, the developers will follow suit. This is the usual cycle of new Windows adoption as we saw in XP, 2000, 98, and 95. Businesses don't just jump to a new windows platform overnight. It takes plenty of testing and and working with Vendors to get everything right for a smooth migration. Rome certainly wasn't built in a day, and we wouldn't have over 140,000,000 licencees that quickly either.